Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.

Director:

Leonard Nimoy

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (television series Star Trek), Leonard Nimoy (story)

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Shatner	...	Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Spock
DeForest Kelley	...	McCoy
James Doohan	...	Scotty
George Takei	...	Sulu
Walter Koenig	...	Chekov
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
Jane Wyatt	...	Amanda
Catherine Hicks	...	Gillian
Mark Lenard	...	Sarek
Robin Curtis	...	Lt. Saavik
Robert Ellenstein	...	Federation Council President
John Schuck	...	Klingon Ambassador
Brock Peters	...	Admiral Cartwright
Michael Snyder	...	Starfleet Communications Officer

Storyline

The most acclaimed Star Trek adventure of all time with an important message. It is the 23rd century, and a mysterious alien probe is threatening Earth by evaporating the oceans and destroying the atmosphere. In their frantic attempt to save mankind, Admiral Kirk and his crew must time travel back to 1986 San Francisco where they find a world of punk, pizza and exact-change buses that are as alien to them as anything they have ever encountered in the far-off reaches of the galaxy. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy return as Kirk and Spock, along with the entire Star Trek crew.

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Plot Keywords:

underwater sequence | probe | whale | alien probe | humpback whale | 

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Taglines:

They travelled back where 23rd century man had never gone before. To a mad, crazy, outrageous time. 1986.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Startrek.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English Finnish

Release Date:

26 November 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Star Trek IV: The Adventure Continues

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,881,888, 30 November 1986

Gross USA:

$109,713,132

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$133,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of the whales, George and Gracie, was an homage to the pioneering comedy duo of George Burns and Gracie Allen. This may have been a Star Trek (1966) inside joke as well, as Burns' befuddled looks in reaction to Allen's gags were said to inspire the trademark facial expressions Leonard Nimoy used to depict many of Spock's nonverbal reactions.

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Goofs

When Kirk and Spock are riding the Muni bus, a crewmember with a camera is reflected in the window behind them.

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Quotes

McCoy: [Dr. McCoy is talking about Mr. Spock]
McCoy: I don't know if you've got the whole picture, but he's not exactly working on all thrusters.

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Crazy Credits

The film opens with a dedication to the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger. - European cinema versions contains a short summary of the two previous movies instead of dedication.

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Connections

Referenced in Blackcatloner: How I Spent My YouTube Vacation/Star Trek Beyond Review (2016)

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Soundtracks

Ballad Of The Whale
(uncredited)
Performed by The Yellowjackets

User Reviews

The most popular Star Trek movie

The Voyage Home is the Star Trek film that had the highest box office gross. It captured the imagination of the public who were eager to see Kirk and the crew in present day (1986) San Francisco. Luckily, the film was solid in all aspects and was enjoyed by long-time fans of the series as well. Although the outcome of the film is never in doubt, it never loses the attention of the viewer and entertains throughout. It actually felt fresh and original despite the fact that time travel had been done before (in the TV series) and it was the fourth film in the franchise. Recommended, 8/10.